22 February 2007

jeremy issues

The other day I received a short email with the subject line, "Is this you?" which is a pretty typical email subject line to use after finding an email address of someone you haven't spoken to for a few years. But the person who sent this email was my junior high school girlfriend. We started dating before I could drive. I haven't talked to her in at least 14 or 15 years so I was a little shocked when my polite and friendly response was followed by the email below.

Now, our break-up was not smooth or without pain, which shouldn't be a surprise. But after reading this email from her, I started to wonder what really happened and what I blocked out during that time. Her email sounds like I left town or something, but we had 3-4 classes together everyday for the next 3 years until we graduated. By the way, the last names have been concealed to protect the innocent.

From: Karen
Sent: Wed 2/7/2007 11:21 AM
To: Jeremy
Subject: RE: Is this you?

Hey,

Thanks for the message. It's been awhile. How's Florida treating you? I'm living back east in New England, again. I am still corrupting the minds of rich white middle school kids into hating their parents' SUVs. Exciting..

The fam is good. Dooser is living in Madison, doing what Dooser does best...cat lady. and Joan is getting married in Paris in a week, to Rich's best friend. Yeah, exciting and having a baby in August. Paul and his hot, black boyfriend live in chicago robbing the country of pharmaceutical integrity, Jan lives in a meditating cult in Arkansas, and Tom and his four fat kids live in chicago in my Grandma's old house. Everybody is moving back to Chicago because my dad has cancer and is winning the battle, but probably doesn't have too many years left.

I looked you up this morning because I am digging up my past with a gardening trowel. I am in a super awesome relationship with a guy who I am super crazy about (why else would I be back in New England?) and who is awesome and has a two year old daughter that I love to death. On the advice of my counselor...I am trying to work on what Joan calls my "Jeremy issues" where I walk around like a wounded animal (can you believe my own sister would call me a wounded animal?) in a relationship...problem being, I can't really remember what happened at the end there (blocked it out), but I am tired of being a wounded animal and am willing to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of it. So, I went so far as to email you after all these years, open up the agony of it all that I thought I had put behind me, and get the story from the horses mouth. I am not really sure what I am asking you for here. Not an apology, not an explanation, I dont care who you hooked up with or went out with or the details. I can't remember anyone's names anyway. How did you just disappear?

gotta run, twenty thirteen year olds are about to invade my room like locusts.

Go Packers,

Karen

24 January 2007

obama fever - is it too soon?

I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. Over the past couple of years, I guess I realized that might have been a bad decision but I was young and stupid. Okay, I wasn't that young. Anyway, I like the sound of President Obama.